By: Kelly Kearney
Apple TV+’s biggest hit and America’s favorite comfort watch is back, proving that sometimes you really can go home again. After a lackluster response to the series finale, rumors swirled that maybe Ted Lasso’s story wasn’t over after all. Fast-forward a few years and Jason Sudekis’ Ted and almost the entire gang are back, ready to heal the broken hearts of fans who weren’t quite ready to say goodbye to the good vibes the show left behind. Now, the new season has a female forward angle that will require everyone–but especially Ted, to take his own advice and, “Be Curious” on how to inspire Richmond’s first female football club.
Kansas City
The episode opens with s black screen and a repetitive beep. Is it a heart monitor? Nope. It’s the scanner at the grocery store checkout where Assistant Manager Ted Lasso (Jason Sudeikis) works. He’s full-time at the checkouts and part-time doling out inspiring life lessons about being the best worker—and human—you can be. It’s the same old Ted, keeping it real while teaching people how to be better, just less balls involved and more locals running into the former coach behind the register. It’s a little awkward, but Ted takes it all in stride with a big smile–the Lasso way.
While checking out a customer, he spots one of his young cashiers swiping cigarettes while bagging groceries. When Tyler (Sam Moore) asks to go on break—we assume to enjoy the stolen smokes—Ted lets him go, then follows behind him into the break room. Is he finally going to mention the stolen items? Nope. That’s not how Ted works. He’s rarely confrontational. Instead, Ted starts pulling stolen goods out of his own pockets and shoving them into his locker, much to Tyler’s shock. He explains that he was inspired by his childhood favorite films, Aladdin and Oliver!, and took the line, “Please, sir, may I have some more?” a little too literally. Those guys made stealing look cool, so he’s been pocketing all the “more” he could fit in his pants. Now he can’t quit swiping from the store, he tells Tyler, he’s addicted.
When Tyler asks if Ted worries about getting caught, Ted admits he doesn’t because he’s shielded by his white male privilege. Just then, his name comes over the store’s intercom, and the worried Ted tells Tyler he thinks he was caught on the security camera, and he is not about to go back to jail. He warns the confused teenager that he could be next, so he’d better return everything he stole before his name is echoed across the store. Ted promises to smooth it over with the manager, and Tyler has no idea he was just manipulated by the greatest do-gooder and moral compass in all of Kansas City…or is it Missouri? We’ll get to that confusing geography later.
As Ted moseys over to the manager’s office, he runs into a young man wearing a baby carrier. When the man yells, “Coach!” Ted recognizes Joe (James Earl) and immediately starts rattling off the man’s football stats—that’s American football, not English—and that’s how these two know each other. Before Ted inspired champions in England, he was a college football coach, and Joe was one of his star athletes. Now Joe is a family man with a new wife and baby. The two catch up, and Ted tells him about his time in England and the reason he returned home—to help Henry become “the best version of himself.” Joe knows all about that because Ted helped him and his teammates become the best versions of themselves.
When Joe’s wife walks over to see who her husband is talking to, she is a little taken aback when she meets the legendary coach Joe calls a mentor. He never stopped talking about the lessons he learned from Coach Lasso, and now that man is working in a grocery store and talking about playing Fortnite with his son? Ted barely has time to bask in her shade before he’s once again summoned to the manager’s office.
His manager, Ronnie (Ira Amyx), wasn’t calling about the stolen goods caught on camera—although he does mention it and doesn’t seem too concerned when Ted gives a very vague but smiley answer. He’s actually summoning him because Michelle (Andrea Anders) called. Something happened with Henry at school.
Ted leaves work early and heads to his son’s school, where he meets his overworked and overstressed ex, Michelle (Andrea Anders), and the principal (Alex Weisman). It seems one of Henry’s teachers expressed their concern about a poem the boy wrote in the back of his notebook. When the principal opens the book and proceeds to quote the lyrics to Public Enemy’s “Black Steel in the Hour of Chaos,” it seems everyone assumed the soon-to-be-middle schooler wrote them.This principal could use a little culture because his outrage meter is off the charts. If only he knew the brilliance of Flava Flav and Chuck D, maybe he would be better at his job? Michelle wonders the same as the two parents choke down their giggles, and agree they can’t wait for Henry to be out of that school. It’s clear the divorce looks good on these two. They’re friendly and supportive without the messy tension of resentment and broken hearts. They function like a team, and we all know Ted excels at team sports, which is why he’s sympathetic to Michelle’s issues at work.
As Michelle expresses her job frustrations, Ted’s attention is quickly drawn to a group of kids playing soccer. He smiles wistfully, and she smiles knowingly. He misses being a coach…and perhaps the friends he left behind in London. Michelle doesn’t interrupt his nostalgic moment and instead, simply lets Ted know she’ll see him later at Henry’s game and not to forget to charge the boy’s iPad.
The Offer
When Ted pulls up to his house, he passes a black SUV parked in front. As he waits for the garage door to open, the SUV doors swing open, revealing designer pumps, chunky platform heels, and boring sneakers with the socks hiked up. The camera pans up to reveal Rebecca Welton (Hannah Waddingham), Keeley Jones (Juno Temple), and everyone’s favorite ride-or-die, Leslie Higgins (Jeremy Swift), awkwardly standing in front of Ted’s house in Kansas City. What are they doing in America, and why isn’t Ted running out to see them?
Ted pulls into the garage, and only after the door closes does he come running out the front door, thrilled to see his friends. Always by the book, our Ted is. He gives them a three-way hug, and they decide they can’t catch up on empty stomachs. What do three Brits eat in Kansas City? BBQ, of course! They all love it, especially Rebecca, although maybe not her blouse, which ends up covered in sauce. Everyone is happy to be in “Kansas…well, Missouri, actually. Kansas is across the street” Ted explains to the confused Brits.
Midwest cities aside, Ted comes up with a 10-second game where everyone has to update him on their lives without mentioning work. Ted goes first, sharing that he’s happy to be home, although maybe a little less happy that his mom is selling his childhood home. “It’s a whole thing,” he says before quickly changing the subject to Henry, who has grown a foot…in height, not an actual foot, because that would be weird.
Then there’s Keeley, who struggles to come up with anything that isn’t work-related, other than her friendship-not-relationship with Roy is going strong. Ted wonders if Roy considers them just-friends, and the exchange between the two basically screams “not really,” but we’ll move on. Rebecca jumps in next with an update on Matthjis. They’re still together, separately. Their relationship is primarily over Zoom, even the sex –TMI, which apparently keeps them permanently in the honeymoon stage. She also finally watched Breaking Bad, and I’m not sure what version she watched, but she found it “hilarious.” Higgins, naturally, has the most random update. His wife gets more beautiful every day, his son gave himself a DIY tattoo that may or may not look like Australia or a taco, and he recently installed heated floors in the bathroom. Great updates, but everyone is ignoring the giant pink football in the room. What are they really doing in Kansas City?
Besides music fan Higgins checking out the American Jazz Museum, Keeley breaks the ice and explains they’re checking out the KC Current and their facilities because Richmond is getting a women’s football club! Rebecca watches Ted’s reaction to the news, as he does his absolute best to avoid looking at what they’re all getting at.
Realizing Ted is refusing to take the hint, Rebecca comes clean and asks Ted to coach the women’s team. He can’t help himself and asks if she’s asking because she wants the team to fail. It’s a throwback to how Ted got to Richmond in the first place, before he proved himself as a leader and Rebecca proved she was more than a boss, but a friend. She explains that the culture Ted created for their championship men’s club should be instilled in the women’s club from the jump. It takes every ounce of self-restraint for him to remain calm and plaster on a smile. Rebecca cannot gauge where her friend is at with his response, but takes a beat when he agrees to sleep on it. He then invites them all to Henry’s soccer game later that day.
After smiling and waving goodbye as his three friends head to their hotel, Ted closes the front door and his face falls. What’s he going to do? As Ted is torn between desire and responsibility, his purpose struggles to find its way.
London’s Calling…
Meanwhile, Rebecca battles jet lag with a little cybersex with Matthjis (Matteo van der Grijn), only for the moment to be interrupted by his teenage daughter, Jelka (Fleur Bremmer). Adult time will have to wait until they have a little more privacy. He asks about Ted, and Rebecca thinks he’ll say yes. At least, she hopes he will. She ends the chat when a comatose Higgins knocks on her door looking for caffeinated tea. The jet lag and BBQ had him falling asleep on the toilet, and this man needs a boost. The two chat about the news, but their completely different algorithms have them talking about two very different things. Rebecca thinks Higgins means the new Hermès line just dropped, but he means the news that Twickenham FC’s women’s team has folded. Higgins reads the report, and the words “financial liability” immediately have Rebecca squeamish. It gets worse. The women’s team was seen as draining money from the men’s club. What does this mean for their new venture into the sport? Rebecca stress-eats as she tries to convince Higgins their team won’t suffer the same fate. Higgins picks up on her desperate need for positivity and mumbles unconvincingly that they’ll succeed where others have failed. He thinks he should break the news to Keeley, but Rebecca stops him. She hates to “squash her enthusiasm,” even though that seems impossible. Then there’s Alice Chilton, who has shown interest in coaching if Ted declines. Rebecca points out that Coach Chilton doesn’t like her, and Higgins agrees. She doesn’t like anyone. Not exactly the vibes Rebecca was hoping to create. She’d rather hire a growling Rottweiler. Luckily, the stress goes down easier with more BBQ. Unfortunately, the sauce continues destroying her wardrobe. Another blouse bites the dust in Kansas City’s sweet and spicy juice! Someone needs to keep that Hermès collection far, far away from her Kansas carry-on.
Finally, Ted and Henry (Grant Feely) have a little father-son chat about Ted’s #1 rule for listening to hip-hop: “I can hear all the words. I just can’t say all the words,” Henry remembers. Ted points out that this includes writing them down for teachers to find. If his generation is all about keeping receipts, then he should know to “never leave a paper trail.” Ted then tells Henry that Rebecca, Keeley, and Higgins are in town and that they offered him the coaching job. Henry asks if he’s going to take it, but Ted assures him he’s not going anywhere. Like his father, Henry’s reaction is a hard read. Maybe he knows what Ted can’t admit: He misses coaching and his friends in London.
Later, at the game, Mrs. Dottie Lasso (Becky Ann Baker) fills Keeley and Rebecca in on her big move. She found a retirement community that banned Fox News from the common areas but loves to play pickleball, and honestly, it sounds like she found her people. She also lent Keeley her tush-cush for comfort on the metal bleachers, which the soon-to-be football club owner finds extra comfortable–in fact, everything in Kansas is comfortable, she declares. This sparks yet another conversation about what even is Kansas City, Missouri, just as Henry scores a goal, sending everyone into celebration. Rebecca pauses blotting another stain off of her blouse to ask how many cities are in the city they are in, and the answer, “two!” somehow does absolutely nothing to clear up the confusion.
While she gets acquainted with Tide stain pens and midwestern geography, Ted is focused on Henry’s game while avoiding the job offer Michelle thinks he wants to take. When she holds him to their “Oklahoma” truth pact, he admits he isn’t sure if he wants the job. His mom overhears the whole conversation, but she’s too busy screaming at the coach (Scott Speiser) for pulling Henry out of the game to say something. Henry is the best player on the team, and this coach clearly has it in for him. Rebecca sees how Henry is being treated and asks Ted why he didn’t coach the team himself. His excuse is that sometimes fathers and coaches have different roles, and Rebecca isn’t buying it. Neither is Michelle, who rolls her eyes so hard she can see Missouri behind them.
Sparkly Swift and Sister Solidarity
After the game, Henry is bummed that he didn’t get to play, and Ted offers to talk to the coach on his behalf. Henry begs him not to, but the second Michelle pulls away, Ted makes a beeline for the coach. As nice as Ted is, the coach clearly doesn’t like him and gives him the brush-off.
The next morning we learn Kansas City is growing on Keeley, as is the jet lag. She’s never felt more productive or more stuffed. That enormous breakfast burrito has fueled her with good vibes and productivity. She even got all her emails answered before lunch. Of course, thanks to the time difference, they’re technically late, but still. The enthusiasm is boiling over. Rebecca agrees. Sure, she’s ruined her entire wardrobe with BBQ sauce but there is something about how everything is just a little bit too nice. Maybe it’s the Southern charm or the Kansas City graphic tee, but this trip looks good on both friends. Especially when the duo wanders into a shop called “Dazzle Me Moi,” where every piece of clothing comes bedazzled with sequins and sparkles. When Rebecca spots an especially eccentric fashion fail, a beaded blazer, and asks Keeley, “Who wears this shit?” the owner pops up out of nowhere to answer that very question. Her name is Tammy (Suzanne Cryer), and she finds Rebecca a loud and Kansas proud suit that could raise a few posh eyebrows.
Next, we catch up with Higgins, who makes his way to the American Jazz Museum only to find out it’s closed for a Bar Mitzvah. Instead, he’s convinced by his own ignorance and the patience of his tour guide (Milan Carter) to buy a ticket to the Negro Leagues Baseball Museum. What does a football-managing Brit know about baseball? Nothing, and that’s the point. By the end of the tour, Higgins is a full-blown Satchel Paige fan and has bought enough merch to get himself mistaken for a character from Do the Right Thing. The plight of a turn of the century black sports star, is nothing like that of a female football player, but Higgins can see some similarities and feels right at home with the lessons of Page, “ain’t no man can avoid being born average, but there ain’t no man that got to be common.”
While Higgins is learning a lesson in racism and homeruns, Ted heads to his mom’s house to drop off a box of items Henry hopes to sell at her yard sale. Dottie is a shark and agrees to sell the boy’s things for only a fraction of the profits. No family deals for Henry!
As for her son, Dottie gives Ted another frank response. She’s still pushing him to confront the childhood trauma tied to that house. Ted isn’t ready to say goodbye to it, and Dottie seems to think he isn’t ready for a few other things, like facing the fact that he misses his life in London. That much becomes obvious when Ted spots the Richmond scarf he gifted her sitting in the yard sale.
Back at Dazzle Me Moi, Keeley is talking about their new team while Rebecca tries on one of Tammy’s outfits. Rebecca tells her about the Twickenham team that just folded, and the conversation turns to Tammy, who invested her divorce settlement in the store. It didn’t really take off until Taylor Swift’s backup singers bought an outfit and posted about it online. Since then, the store’s popularity has exploded. Just another case of successful women helping other women find success.
Do What You Love
Back to Dottie’s and Ted retrieves one last box from his old bedroom and spots a plaque on the wall that reads, “Salesman of the Year Jim Lasso.” When he delivers the box to his mom outside, he asks about visiting his dad at work. She remembers how much Ted loved tagging along with his father and how much his father loved sharing that part of his life with his son. That prompts Ted to ask why she never asks him about his job. Her answer is simple: Why should she care about something he obviously doesn’t care about? Oof. That one lands hard. Dottie explains that Ted didn’t tag along with his dad because the job was interesting. He went because he loved how the job made his father feel. It’s good for a boy to see his father doing something he loves. Finally, Dottie says what she wanted to say at Henry’s game and tells her son to take the job. First, she wanted him to come home, and now she wants him to leave? Ted is understandably angry, but Dottie just smiles, confident that her son will figure out the right thing to do.
While Ted is debating big life changes, it’s game day for the KC Current. Katie (Michelle Davidson) escorts the gang around the stadium, explaining that it was the first built specifically for women’s soccer. Keeley, like a kid in Rebecca’s candy store, immediately blurts out that maybe they–meaning she, should build their own stadium. Rebecca, always the ground beneath Keeley’s hovering feet, pulls her back down to Earth and reminds her that maybe they should play a game first.
While Keeley’s head fills with new ideas for the Richmond women’s team, Ted is still struggling to choose his path. After the game, the gang heads to the airstrip to say their goodbyes. Sadly, Ted isn’t coming with them. He promised Henry he would make this life in Kansas work, and he refuses to let his son down. Keeley refuses to give him a final goodbye, as that takes days. Rebecca, on the other hand, respects Ted’s role as a father and understands his dilemma. She gives her old pal a familiar pink box of shortbread cookies before boarding her plane. Yes, her plane, because just like Tammy, the divorce was very good to her and it leaves when she is ready.
Later, Ted returns home and climbs the stairs to his office, where he’s locked away all of his Richmond memories. He’s kept up with Jamie Tartt and Roy’s careers, gazing at newspaper clippings celebrating everyone’s success. Then he opens Rebecca’s pink box and finds a note that says, “Let it steep,” along with a tea bag.
So Ted, a well-known tea hater, makes himself a cup and lets it steep while hanging the Richmond scarf he rescued from his mom’s yard sale. He smiles at the Richmond Lego set Henry gave him, complete with Lego versions of Keeley, Roy, Rebecca, Higgins, Beard, and Ted sitting in the stands. After soaking it all in, Ted picks up his phone and texts Michelle a question: What if they all moved to London? The answer is immediate. Michelle seems more than open to a change of scenery. When Ted asks what Henry would think, he realizes he’s actually texting Henry because he forgot to charge the kid’s iPad. Whoops. According to the sneaking boy, Michelle agrees, too. Maybe a move is exactly what everyone needs to reset, recharge, and reignite the thing Ted has been missing, that spark that makes him so inspiring that wives of former players still listen to the stories about what a mentor he was. With a smile on his face and a plan to head back to London forming in his mind, Ted takes a sip of tea. NOPE. England might be in his heart, but its beloved tea will always be just dirty water to Ted.